What Was That Name Again?
Make Me Care About Your Brand/Service/Product Enough to Remember You
On any given neighborhood walk, I’ll see at least three vans promoting their services, from painting to plumbing, plus yard signs for remodelers or interior designers.
Here’s the thing: almost none of them follow advice about branding or marketing–namely, convey what makes you uniquely valuable in a way that motivates action.
What do I mean by that?
Unclear: Many signs just have the company name. Since that’s usually the owner’s last name, how does that help? A.B. Johnson, contractor, doesn’t tell me what kind of contract work. Why would I call them, or even look them up?
Unrelated: Some have logos (if at all) that don’t relate to their service. My favorite (as in, not at all) is one for an electrician. The logo is a cobra, poised to strike, because—you guessed it—their name starts with an S (like snake). So … how does that make me trust you to rewire my house? Are cobras known for their wiring savvy?
Unconvincing: Some choose a value proposition that isn’t compelling, like age, for example. “In business since 1975.” So…that’s your best selling point? (By that logic I should win every argument with my son because I’ve been around far longer than he has.)
Clearly Make Me Care
I did see an example–on the same walk, no less–of two companies doing it right.
One was the name of the company (yes, just a person’s last name) but underneath it said what they do: painting and wall coverings. That last bullet point on the sign clicked with me right away. In fact I even twisted around as the dogs pulled me past to see what the URL was.
Why? Because they clearly stated they have a solution to my “problem,” which is really more of a wish for new wallpaper in my office. It caught my eye, but now…I can’t remember the name or the URL. I guess the connection wasn’t sticky enough.
The second company had a bland name, but at least not a person’s name. It was Premier Painting with a tagline underneath it that said, “Taking the pain out of painting.” Yes! I hate painting. Loathe might be the proper verb to use. Not only that, but I’m so bad at it you would fire me right away if you saw me advancing toward a wall–or heaven forbid a window frame–with a paintbrush in my hand. Jackson Pollack has nothing on me when it comes to making a mess.
In one case they cut through the clutter simply by being clear. But was it enough? The appeal was fleeting, but the name didn’t stick.
In another, they linked their name to an emotion that I identify with. And I do remember their name.
Caring Comes Before Acting
What are you doing to link your services to someone’s pain (or someone’s wish)? Is your solution clear? Does your “why” connect with their “why”? Can they act on it?
And speaking of action, unless you’re showing up primarily in a digital space, getting people to take immediate action is hard. The only time I moved immediately to action (not counting impulse buys at Target when you’re just there for kitty litter but somehow you go home with a new sweater and your fifth tube of mauve lipstick) was when I was in my car behind a bus at a red light.
On the back of the bus was an ad for a radio station. Just a few words describing the music, plus the frequency and some graphics. I added that station to my rotation right then and there (and yes, I do have an old car that doesn’t connect to my phone).
But since it’s rare that awareness leads directly to action (even with clickable links), it’s better to make sure your messages do more than make people aware. Make them:
Memorable/Emotional
To lead to:
Action (which goes beyond emotion and gets into right place/right time)
If you have an example of messaging that moved you to immediate action, please share. I love real-life examples!
Take 2: Sharing Good Stuff
1. From PipDecks, Brand Tactics:
These series of decks (online and real, hold-in-your-hand cards) offer lots of ways to dig into marketing and brand. Here's one on knowing your audience.
“Superfan secrets: reach out to 3-4 of your brand's superfans and ask not just what they like about your service, but how they use it, and what would happen if they had to use a "competitor" instead of you.”
2. From an old Seth Godin blog:
He shares 4 pieces of advice on naming, some of which seem a bit baffling, like "The LESS it has to do with your category, the better" (e.g., Starbucks or Nike) and some of which I don't agree with (or have feelings about): "pick a real English word, or a string of them. Axelon and Altus are bad. Jet Blue, Ambient and Amazon are good," and one that I fully endorse: "don’t forget to come up with a great tagline -- 'lemonpie, the easy way to learn scuba,' for example". The key is to share the value more than describing the offering.
Think about
Where can I inject more of our value on the website, on direct mail, in collateral, in an email signature? What words and phrases will make people realize we offer what they're looking for?
